bhmom’s AchillesBlog

People see me hobbling around town with my big old boot and crutches and ask “What happened?!”

March 13th tennis happened. And no, I was not even winning at the time. As it so happens, I haven’t played much tennis for the past ten years or so. I used to love it though so when my quarterhorse died last year and my bulldog started to get bushed after only a few miles, I decided to try tennis again.
My calves were tight, but I stretched a lot (a mistake according to my physical therapist) and I was starting to move pretty good, starting to hit the ball solid and then POP, it felt like a horse kicked me in the calf and then I went down. Tears welled up in my eyes not only because it hurt, but because I knew exactly what happened to me.
Almost exactly two years ago, my husband tore his Achilles while playing basketball. Because his tear was fairly high, he was not a surgical candidate. Visions of me driving him to work for two months came back. He complained that he never really got back the strength he’d had.
He encouraged me to have surgery because a) the surgeon said my tear was low and ‘repairable’ and b) I’d lessen my chance of tearing it again.
The surgery was March 17th and I’m not going to lie. It was not easy on me. I have two boys old enough to fend for themselves, but I am first and foremost a Mom. I’m used to cooking for them, helping them edit papers, attending their events. Suddenly, I was hard-pressed just to move.
The hard part is behind me and I’m doing PT three times a week. I always feel much better after that. It’s almost one month in the boot and I was hoping to be walking without crutches, but I’m not there yet.
What keeps me sane is doing floor exercises each morning. Sit-ups, push ups, leg lifts…it’s not fun like riding horses or biking or hiking with my dog but it’s a whole lot better than nothing.
I don’t know about you guys, but I find walking in the boot awkward as trying to do ballet in cowboy boots. I don’t feel stable unless I’m on grass. Somehow the soft surface is grippy enough to give me traction and then I’m fast, fast, fast. The Fastest Girl on Crutches West of the Mississippi.
I can’t wait to shake that title and ditch the crutches. Curious if the swelling and tightness and tingliness are hindering others from going crutch-free?

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